When it comes to the Chicago Bears’ Achilles heel, fans will likely point to former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, statistics point in a different direction.
Overall, the Bears are beginning a brand new era of their franchise’s history with head coach Ben Johnson at the helm. They’re hopeful his arrival will bring added structure and a true gameplan for success. What’s for certain is the team isn’t trying to hold onto to past struggles.
But there’s no denying things have gotten rough for the Bears in recent years. Shockingly, Chicago has performed the worst when they were facing current Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson, via Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus.
“Jackson is perhaps the most unexpected name on this list, but in two recent matchups with Chicago, he shut down the Bears‘ receivers,” Wasserman wrote. “Across those outings in 2020 and 2023, Jackson allowed just three catches on eight targets for a total of 12 yards. He also recorded three pass breakups. The 93.1 PFF coverage grade that Jackson earned in the 2023 matchup represents his career high.”
Donte Jackson vs Chicago Bears
NFL: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers Donte Jackson during his most recent season with the Pittsburgh Steelers – Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
The Bears aren’t slated to play the Chargers in 2025, meaning Chicago is free from the wrath of Jackson. He did his damage against the Bears as a member of the Carolina Panthers anyway. Still, it’s a bit shocking to see how much Jackson has dominated Chicago over his career.
To be fair to the Bears, they’ve come out victorious in both meetings against Jackson and the Panthers. However, the cornerback has racked up nine tackles, three pass breakups and overall played overwhelming defense on any Chicago receiver he faced.
Rodgers likely still leads the list of players most hated by Bears fans due to their play against the franchise. But Jackson has crept onto Chicago’s hate list due to a pair of standout performances.
Caleb Williams cannot allow cornerback dominance
NFL: Chicago Bears Minicamp Chicago Bears Caleb Williams at minicamp – Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Williams threw just six interceptions as a rookie, a strong sign for his decision making. But while his 3,541 passing yards set a new Bears record, it wasn’t what Chicago was expecting after using the No. 1 pick on him. As he enters his sophomore campaign, Williams must live up to the hype and become a dominant force weekly.
Too often during Williams’ rookie campaign did he look non-existent in the box score. Nine times did he fail to reach 200 yards passing, six games seeing him not even hit 150 yards. Overall, the Bears finished their 2024 campaign ranked second-to-last in passing offense, averaging 181.5 yards per game.
Chicago has completely revamped their offense line, which should help Williams stay upright in the pocket. He was sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie. Furthermore, the Bears made a pair of major additions in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden to what was already a pretty stacked receiving room.
All the pieces are there for success, but Williams must put the Bears puzzle together. He won’t have Jackson to deal with, but he cannot become victim to any cornerback. Williams must be an expert at Johnson’s scheme and show why he was the top overall pick in the draft.
